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Silverpine Forest
Silverpine Forest, also referred to simply as Silverpine, is the vast forestry that runs along Lordaeron's rugged western coast which connects the Kingdom of Lordaeron to the Kingdom of Gilneas. The land ranges from fairly flat to hilly, and is nestled among even taller mountains. While much of the woods are unpopulated, that which lives within are often sickly and undead, with little to no living wildlive still present. Silverpine Forest has been the staging grounds for numerous campaigns from Lordaeron against Gilneas and vice-versa, including many border disputes and the very Invasion of Gilneas. Gilneas borders the forest to the south, the Hillsbrad Foothills to the southeast, while Tirisfal Glades lays to the north. Lordamere Lake serves as Silverpine's eastern border. It is a vastly unpopulated region and was one of the most harshly hit areas from not only the Scourge, but the Forsaken as well. It is the home to many important settlements and places including Shadowfang Keep, the Greymane Wall, and the Forsaken Front. Silverpine Forest is the edge of the Forsaken homeland and the southernmost point where effects of the undead plague can be seen in the plant life. This woodland is haunted and wild, characterized by its tall, silver-barked pines towering over grassy knolls. The forest is eerily silent save for the occasional unnatural howling echoing among the trees. Mossy overhangs shiver in the cold breeze, and the trees are all sickly or dying. Dilapidated farmsteads and abandoned mines dot the land, home now to the darker denizens of the woods. The Forsaken control the northern forest and that region serves as the staging area for their armies that march into the besieged Kingdom of Gilneas. What remains of the human population retains control of the southern forest, but they are desperate and their forces thinly stretched. Since the fall of the Greymane Wall and the spread of the Worgen curse, the Gilneas Liberation Front has decided to strike back at the Forsaken after their first invasion, openly fighting against their oppressors. Though the territory belongs to the Forsaken, their claim was disputed by the wizards of Dalaran, Gilneans and the raised Gilnean noblemen that now have entrenched themselves along with the Scourge remnants in the Baron Silverlaine's former fortress, the Shadowfang Keep. In the aftermath of this dispute, by the time of the Blood War, the Forsaken had solidified control over Silverpine; including turning Shadowfang Keep into a bio-weapons facility. After the Battle for Lordaeron, the region became a prime target for the Alliance, claiming some parts of the forest as well as attacking Forsaken outposts throughout the region. =History= ---- The southern parts of Silverpine Forest were originally part of the Kingdom of Gilneas until it was walled off with the Greymane Wall. The road that goes through Silverpine Forest was usually used by dignitaries traveling to Capital City and was used by Anduin Lothar and the refugees from Stormwind when they escaped to Lordaeron after the First War. It was described as one of the great wonders of Lordaeron. =Third War= ---- During the Third War, the forces of the Lich King invaded the woods, making quick progress until their campaign ground to halt in the shadow of the Greymane Wall. The number of the undead was small at first, but it increased over time and they did not flag. Fearing it would break, King Genn Greymane opened the gate and Gilnean soldiers poured from Gilneas into Silverpine Forest. The Scourge, however, defeated the soldiers and raised them into undeath. The Worgen threat was contained for millennia until Archmage Arugal managed to pull the wolf-beasts from the Emerald Dream. Summoned by order of King Genn Greymane, the worgen were used to battle the Scourge forces stationed in front of the wall. Yet the feral creatures soon spread their curse throughout the human population of Silverpine Forest, infecting Gilnean soldiers stationed beyond the Greymane Wall. In order to contain this epidemic, Greymane abandoned Silverpine Forest in order to keep the curse at bay, though before long the affliction had advanced through the legendary barrier and was gradually eating away at Gilneas's humanity. Driven mad with guilt, Arugal adopted the worgen as his children and retreated to the newly dubbed 'Shadowfang Keep', situated above the tiny hamlet of Pyrewood. He has created a wolfcult in order to spread the worgen curse and expand his worgen family. The Scourge had also set fire to the crops and the plague of undeath began to affect the trees, making them pale and lifeless with the disease. After the war, with Lordaeron destroyed, the wizards of Dalaran busy rebuilding their home and the citizens of Gilneas having locked themselves away behind the Greymane Wall, no one was left to take care of the forest. Though many pockets of Alliance resistance were scattered across Lordaeron, the largest group had gathered in Silverpine Forest after the Third War. This force was led by Grand Marshal Othmar Garithos. Kael'thas and his blood elves quickly seized large swaths of land and began preparing for their journey to the ruins of Dalaran. A Kaldorei expedition under Maiev Shadowsong and Tyrande Whisperwind arrived at Lordaeron through Silverpine Forest, looking for Illidan Stormrage. They soon joined with Kael'thas Sunstrider and his Sin'dorei and worked together to get through the forest to Dalaran. Later, a fight between a temporary alliance of night elves and naga under Malfurion Stormrage and Illidan against the Scourge also took place in the woods, in an attempt to rescue Tyrande from the undead monstrosities. Silverpine Forest was also used as a meeting place between the banshee Sylvanas Windrunner and the trio of Nathrezim, Balnazzar, Varimathras, and Detheroc. =World of Warcraft= ---- The forest became occupied by the Forsaken, minions of Thule Ravenclaw, and the forces of Arugal. =Cataclysm= ---- After the defeat of Archmage Arugal and the complete takeover of the forest by the Forsaken, this region was fairly silent for a while. However, the new Warchief, Garrosh Hellscream ordered the Forsaken to conquer Gilneas in order to establish a main oversea supply route to the continent of Lordaeron. Silverpine Forest became the staging ground for the Horde soldiers invading Gilneas. Garrosh himself arrived here and brought with him regiments of orcs and Tauren for the initial assault. The war proved costly and the first invasion was repelled by the proud, now worgen, defenders of Gilneas. After the Forsaken defeat, the Gilneas Liberation Front gained the upper hand in the conflict, and the worgen quickly began to wash over Silverpine Forest, reaching even the distant lands of Brill near the Undercity in Tirisfal Glades. The Forsaken had to resort to more reckless and experimental methods in order to win back their territory, such as using Val'kyr, the former servants of the Lich King, to raise the Gilnean noblemen: Godfrey, Ashbury, and Walden, who did not accept the fact that their king became a half-man, half-beast. With their help, the Forsaken managed to drive off the worgen offensive back to Gilneas, but after the deed was done, Godfrey and his henchmen assassinated Sylvanas and then fled to the abandoned fortress of Shadowfang Keep. Luckily for the Horde, Sylvanas was resurrected thanks to the power of her Val'kyr servants. Now both Sylvanas and Ivar Bloodfang seek to eliminate the traitorous noblemen that now reside and plot behind the walls of Silverlaine's keep. =Battle for Azeroth= ---- Following the Battle for Lordaeron, Silverpine was heavily targeted by Alliance forces, leaving the remaining Forsaken forces in the area defending their remaining holdfasts. Troops under High Priestess MacDonnell marched on the Sepulcher while High Executor Hadrec attempted to send reinforcements up into Tirisfal. Fenris Keep fell under Forsaken control by Deathstalker Hayward's leadership, though they were ultimately defeated by the Bloodfang Pack, which took over the island. The Horde later distracted these forces to allow Undercity refugees evacuate across Lordamere Lake. The Forsaken which controlled Shadowfang Keep, turned it into a bio-weapon facility under Chief Plaguebringer Harris. This was done to manufacture weaponry to use against the nearby kingdom of Gilneas, though the keep was surrounded by 7th Legion forces led by Captain Tobias Zaren. Alliance and Horde forces also clashed along the Deep Elem Mine, with the Horde attempting to continue mining operations, while the Alliance was attempting to take over the mine and sabotage said operations using gnomish explosive devices. Darius Crowley led a Gilnean army seemingly out of the region to attack the nearby Sludge Fields in Hillsbrad Foothills, which were attempting to send undead reinforcements to attack Gilneas under orders of Warden Stillwater. See WoWPEdia Category:Places Category:Forests Category:Silverpine Forest Locations Category:Lordaeron (Subcontinent) Locations